Caring Is

Caring is….
There is no simple answer. Part of caring is being the one who is willing to dig deeper to find an answer, to go a step farther to give comfort, to be the last one standing in a room full of fleeing people to make sure the last person there has a hand to grab onto. Caring is walking up to the cliff’s edge when no one else will come near the ledge, but still maintaining a level head at the same time. (However, if you put a level on my head that little bubble would be WAY off center.) Caring is having a voice that others can hear above the roar of life. Caring is recognizing the unique soul in each of us but remembering to embrace what joins us all as human beings. Caring is knowing that a sober face isn’t always the correct one, that sometimes a tear on your cheek allows someone to see that you are not just another faceless robot on an isolated highway. Caring is being a part of someone’s happiness, sharing their sadness, giving them a safe place to express their anger, their fear, frustration, weakness, hopes, and dreams. It is owning your mistakes and learning from them, and using what you have learned to try again. It is not being afraid to say you are afraid, and asking for help when you do not know how to proceed on your own. Caring is knowing the difference between needing to keep a secret, when to confide, and when to protect. Caring is knowing that the best way for me may not be the best way, however I will give you a damn good argument why it should be! Caring is realizing that sometimes you need to shut the hell up and listen, and that sometimes silence and offering a hand to hold is the best way to be heard. Caring is hugging, holding, and giving space. Caring is looking for the light in people when everyone else sees only their darkness, and hoping you can show that person how their light shines out of the cracks in their soul. It can be a very dark world, but even the smallest beam of light can illuminate and entire room if you allow your eyes, and heart, to adjust to the glow. It takes patience, but also knowing that some things require a sense of urgency. Caring is not losing hope or giving up, but knowing there is a difference between giving up and letting the universe take control of what you cannot. Caring is also remembering that you must care for yourself if you are to be able to care for another. For a long long time I let that detail derail my life, my soul, my heart. I had to learn that despite my faults, my stumbles, my shortcomings, I am worth love. You are all worth love. Love is the only hope.
Lots of love to you all.
Megan 2009